55 replies to this topic

[Augie1991]

SO need to try this soup.

[AspenLeif]

Made this again. It’s a really close base to this Mexican place out here called El Korita.

So Mexican immigrants here are from the west coast. Probable like San Diego Mexican menus. Ceviche, Octopus, stuffed oysters, lobster.

Today, went for grilled fish tacos. Solid.

Ok. So this place here has this dish called molcajete. Seafood, or pork. Noone orders pork. I know it means stone dish. It’s this blend of awesomeness. They serve it with tortillas, not sure why. I send those away. Its a thin stew. Clams, oysters, two lobster legs, shrimp up the wazoo, and they say cod. In a broth similar to this, and I keep tweaking it, to make it closer. I’m close. White pepper in the last one.

Dunno, if anyone ever came here, I’d drive them to this place for this actual meal. This coastal Mexican dish I can’t quite perfect, close. But it’s pretty amazing.

Edited by AspenLeif, 18 January 2018 - 08:29 PM.

[Big Nake]

That sounds great, Apsen. I would totally order that. The "molcajete" sounds more like "mariscos".

[Chuck d Rochefort]

A molcajete is the stone mortar and pestle used in Mexico.... Not sure what you ate but it sounds awesome... Ever try Vuelve a la Vida?(come back to life seafood cocktail)

[AspenLeif]

A molcajete is the stone mortar and pestle used in Mexico.... Not sure what you ate but it sounds awesome... Ever try Vuelve a la Vida?(come back to life seafood cocktail)

 

 I know it means stone dish.

 

 

Whew....glad you cleared that up for me.  

[Chuck d Rochefort]

A mortar isn’t a dish....


But yor Mom is.....

[Big Nake]

I watched Rick Bayless make "salsa de molcajete" with a blender, a spoon and a bowl. I was all "where's the molcajete?".

[porter]

Have we arrived at a final recipe for this? Would like to try, but a little confused with all the tinkering.

[Big Nake]

Have we arrived at a final recipe for this? Would like to try, but a little confused with all the tinkering.

My posts 30 and 31 (page 2) are what I would call my final version of it although I would make it less spicy. I overdid the dried chile pods so I would cut back on that. I never did try the jar of soup base stuff so Aspen may have another recipe that he likes with the soup base in it. I really liked the version I made.

[Big Nake]

I went to the store today and picked up what I needed to make this again.  Also, I rifled through the different flavors of this BETTER THAN BOUILLON that they carry (chicken, beef, vegetable, mushroom, ham) and found some lobster jars in the back.  Hooray!  So now that I have it... how much of it did you (Aspen) use in a batch of soup?  I see the jar shows 1 tsp is the equivalent to a bouillon cube.  I plan to incorporate this into the next batch.  

[AspenLeif]

To taste really, but always just under desired saltiness. If more is needed, just a sprinkle of salt in the bowl at serving time.

Careful, it’s sort of like a light Carmel. It will easily drop off your spoon in the soup, but will sit on the bottom of the pot and burn if you don’t stir it in. Ask me how I know.

[Big Nake]

So maybe 1-2 tsp in a batch with 64 oz of stock?  I agree on the saltiness.  Most soups are way too fecking salty.  I think I'm making this tonight.  

[Big Nake]

To taste really, but always just under desired saltiness. If more is needed, just a sprinkle of salt in the bowl at serving time.

Careful, it’s sort of like a light Carmel. It will easily drop off your spoon in the soup, but will sit on the bottom of the pot and burn if you don’t stir it in. Ask me how I know.

I plan to put the sauteed onions and dry-roasted garlic in the Ninja so maybe I'll put the BETTER THAN BOUILLON in there too... it may help break it apart so it doesn't end up on the bottom of the pot.

[AspenLeif]

No need for that. You’ll see. You’ll waste too much. It only takes about a dozen times around the pan and it’s dissolved. I just didn’t want you to plop it in there and have it stick on you if you didn’t happen to stir it.

[Big Nake]

No need for that. You’ll see. You’ll waste too much. It only takes about a dozen times around the pan and it’s dissolved. I just didn’t want you to plop it in there and have it stick on you if you didn’t happen to stir it.

Okay, thanks for that.

 

So I just finished this batch and had about a bowl and a half of it.  I'm clearly on a rogue course now and I've strayed far from the original but I'll make some notes here for those scoring at home.

 

I sauteed an onion.  I dry roasted five big cloves of garlic.  I rehydrated two Morita peppers and one Ancho.  All of that went into the Ninja and zipped up.  I put the shrimp shells in the pot with some olive oil and let it go (lid on) for 5-6 minutes.  Then I added a cup of water and let it go for another couple minutes and then pulled the shells out with tongs.  I added some stock to the schputz in the ninja to get it all out and poured that into the pot with the rest of one 32oz container of chicken stock.  Then I added about 16 ounces of vegetable stock to the pot.  Then a tsp of black pepper.  I skipped the Goya seasoning in the original recipe.  I added about 2 tsp of the Better Than Bouillon lobster base.  This is where I think I short-circuited because I added an entire can of tomato paste and then I zipped up a 15oz can of fire-roasted tomatoes in the ninja and added that.  I also made a roux with 2½ T of butter and masa harina.  So.   With the slurry of the onions, garlic and peppers plus the tomato paste plus the zipped up fire-roasted tomatoes PLUS the roux...  I got a very hearty and thick soup.  It was also ultra-tomato-ey.  In the end, it was good but less tomato paste next time.  I added the cleaned and cut-up shrimp with 5 minutes left in the boil and I also added a small amount of fresh chopped cilantro.  There are good things about this soup but I think I need to rethink the broth.  Take a look at this video... this lady is crazy.  I wouldn't bother with the potatoes, carrots and celery but her broth is interesting.  

 

  

[Big Nake]

I had some leftover soup today and I thinned it out with a little more vegetable stock. It was much, much better. I'm going to put together [what I consider to be] a final recipe for this shortly.  I would cut the tomato paste down to the original 2T or maybe about a half of a small can.  I would also use only about half of the fire-roasted tomatoes.  The peppers were perfect.  The recipe in the video above calls for Guajillo peppers, which I have so I could try those next time just to see how they come out.  I would do the roux the same way too... very good that way.  Maybe 2 tsp of the lobster base.  I would keep the small amount of fresh-chopped cilantro too... that was a nice addition.   I might add a pinch of cumin too.  It's getting there.